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Mount Major Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 465 Google reviews · Running trail in Alton, New Hampshire · Open 24 hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Natural surface
- Loop distance
- 4 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Open 24 hours
Confirmed from Mount Major Trail's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Rock-scrambling climb to mountain summit offering panoramic vistas and a picnic area.
What runners say about Mount Major Trail
“I was amazed at how beautiful it was looking out over Lake Winnipesaukee and the mountains in the background.”
“The trail is well marked but the group I blended in with lost track of the dots near the top 🔝.”
I hiked here during my yearly vacation in New Hampshire. It's always a wonderful place to hike. The best hike was when I hiked with my father and my aunt on the sunset hike. You hike early in the morning. I think we began around 4 in the morning and got to the top at 6 am.
Beautiful hike with incredible views of Lake Winnipesaukee. Can get very crowded on the weekends - the smallish parking lot often overflows with cars parked on the side of the road. Recommend arriving before 9am. The Blue trail has a lot of steeper sections that require some climbing.
Great hike. We did a sunrise hike started at 3:45am taking the blue trail all the way up. We really had to push it to make it to the top before the sunrise. This trail is tough. It’s a complete incline and at the last .5 mile you are scaling boulders. We had 10 y.o to 40 y.o. In our group.
This hike’s popularity is well deserved. I hiked with a group of friends on a cloudier day. The hike itself was moderately hard with some sections where you need to use some hands if theres been rain recently. The top view is amazing even with cloudy weather. Recommend packing a lunch and eating it at the top.
Trail conditions & character
“The climb is fun with some scrambling (blue trail) and views, and the descent has views then a nice brook (yellow trail).”
“If hiking it in October, you'll have plenty of company on the trail, and parking at the trailhead will overflow fairly early, so parking will extend over half a mile down the road.”
“The moderate level of difficulty on AllTrails is appropriate as it does have some sections that are somewhat steep on rock that could be slippery if wet or icy.”
“We actually found a small dirt trail that we found easier to travel that went around the sheer rock 🪨, which nothing was cooking on, you have to travel across.”
“We took the main trail to the summit and the Boulder Loop trail back to the bottom for about a 3-mile round trip.”
“The trail is well marked but the group I blended in with lost track of the dots near the top 🔝.”
Plan your run at Mount Major Trail
The practical stuff
- AccessOpen 24 hours — no gate to beat, so a 5am or a 10pm run both work
- SurfaceNatural surface — easiest on the joints and the most fun, but expect roots, rocks and mud after rain
- Loop distance4 mi back to where you parked
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- Trail mapOfficial trail map
- Websitetrailspotting.com
Hours
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | Open 24 hours |
Running trails near Alton
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
Belknap Mountain State Forest
4.7 ★★★★★ 119 reviews
Forest trails of varying levels of difficulty on a peak, plus scenic overlooks and a lake.
Belknap Range Trails
4.5 ★★★★★ 68 reviews
Kid-friendly hiking area offering various trails, a fire tower, and scenic overlooks.
Birch Ridge Community Forest
4.2 ★★★★☆ 9 reviews
Lockes Hill Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 200 reviews
Popular mountain hiking area offering several marked trails past scenic lookout points, plus views of Lake Winnipesaukee.
